Democratic & Republican Lawmakers Call for End to Death Penalty in PA

Harrisburg, PA – April 29, 2019 – On Tuesday, April 30, Senators Katie Muth (D-Berks, Chester, Montgomery) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) will join Representatives Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) and Francis Ryan (R-Lebanon) to advocate for the repeal of the death penalty in Pennsylvania.

The House and Senate lawmakers plan to sponsor legislation in their respective chambers to repeal the penalty they believe is “an ineffective deterrent, incredibly costly and flawed system of punishment.”

The lawmakers will be joined by advocates and former inmates who support abolishing the death penalty in the Commonwealth.

In addition to the legislators, speakers at the event will include:

Kathleen Lucas, Executive Director for Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (PADP);

Kirk Bloodsworth, a Montgomery County resident and the first person incarcerated on death row to be exonerated by DNA evidence; and

Jimmy Dennis, a Philadelphia native and constituent in Rep. Rabb’s district who was sentenced at 21 years old and subsequently incarcerated on death row for 25 years for a crime he did not commit.

WHAT: Lawmakers host press event, introduce legislation calling for an end to the death penalty